Meta is adjusting its policy around personalized advertising for EU users. This ends the imposition of personalized ads on users of the company’s social media platforms. Users will be given a choice.
Meta is changing the policy around personalized ads for EU users. The change is necessary to comply with European legislation. The tech giant no longer complies with the legislation since earlier in July, when the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that Meta was illegally showing personalized advertising to its users. With the ruling, Meta also lost its last means of justifying data collection for personalized ads.
Read also: Meta can no longer collect user data while antitrust authorities win
Later in the month, Norway then seized its chance to fine Meta. The company would be fined €89,000 a day from Aug. 4, as long as it failed to take action.
Too late?
Meta now announces in a blog that it is reviewing its policy. Personalized ads will only continue to be shown to users who agree with them.
However, it is unclear whether Meta will meet the Aug. 4 deadline. Based on the wording in the blog, it does not appear so, as the company talks about changes ‘in the coming months’.
Based on Norway’s example, European authorities may also decide to fine the practices. Possibly the blog is being published now to anticipate this. Indeed, by making the promise, Meta may be gambling that European authorities are sufficiently reassured not to take action against personalized ads.
The company still clearly states that the changes will not be implemented globally: “Today we announce our intention to change the legal basis we use to process certain data for behavioral ads for people in the EU, EEA (European Economic Area) and Switzerland from ‘Legitimate interests’ to ‘Consent’.”
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